Rear engine drive for motor vehicles



April 13, 1937. c. D. PETERSON REAR ENGINE DRIVE FOR MOTOR VEHICLESFiled June 24, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ww/WTO# BY M ATTORNEYS.,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. D. PETERSON REAR ENGINE DRIVE FOR MOTOR VEHICLESFiled June 24, 1935 April 13, 1937.

Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Manuf acturingCorporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Virginia.

Application June 24, 1935, Serial No. 28,129

1 Claim.

5 vehicles having a rear engine drive wherein the power plant is mountedadjacent the rear axle which is the driving axle.

It has for its object, a particularly simple arrangement of the powerplant unit and axle,'

whereby the conventional type of change speed gearing, or gear set, andprop eller shaft is used, or an arrangement of the power plant unitincluding the engine and change speed gear, and motion transmittingmeans between the trans- `mission or tail shaft of the change speed gearand the propeller shaft, and between the propeller shaft and thediierential gear of the axle, whereby the relative up and down movementcan take place with the conventional drive, or propeller shaft, which upand down movement takes place because the chassis is spring supported onthe axle.

It further has for its object, an extension housing or support on, orapplied to, the conventional gear housing of the unit power plant, and asimilar housing on the rear axle, or differential gear housing, a trainof gears in the former extension housing between the transmission ortail shaft and one end of the propeller shaft, and a train of gears inthe other extension housing between the other end of the propeller shaftand the driving gear of the dierential, these extension housings beingrigid with the gear housing and the differential housingrespectively.

It further has for its object, a relative arrangement of the engine,axle and propeller shaft, whereby the propeller shaft, or drive line, isbelow the seat level, thereby keeping the iioor level low.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations andconstructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in allthe views. A

Figure 1 is an end elevation of this rear engine drive, looking from thefront of the engine, the radiator being removed, the contiguous portionsof the vehicle being also shown.

Figure 2 is an elevation of parts seen in Figure l, looking to theright.

Figure 3 is a detail view of the train of gears between the transmissionshaft and one end of the propeller shaft,` this beingalso illustrativeof a train of gears that may be employed between the other end of thepropeller shaft and the differential.

This invention comprises generally, a driving axle unit of a motorvehicle, a power plant including an engine and a change speed gearing,or gear set, the power plant unit being arranged with its axis, that isthe axis of the crank shaft, extending lengthwise of the axle unit, asupport extending from the power plant unit and rigid with the powerplant unit and free of the axle unit, a second support extending fromthe housing of the axle unit toward the power plant unit and rigidtherewith, a propeller shaft including universal joint means, journalledat its ends in said supports, gearing located between the power plantunit and one end of the propeller shaft and being carried by onesupport, and gearing located between the other end of the propellershaft and the differential gear of the the rear axle unit and carried bythe other support.

The power plant unit is suitably supported on the chassis I, and thechassis is spring supported from the rearaxle 2 through springs 3 of anysuitable construction.

The rear axle construction includes the usual housing in which aremounted shaft sections 4 on the outer ends of which the drive wheels 5of the vehicle are mounted in the usual manner, and also a differentialgearing located in thedifferential gear housing 6, thediiierentialgearing including a drive or ring gear, or what correspondsto a rlng gear 1. The power plant unit includes an engine 8 andaccessories, a clutch mounted within the clutch housing 9, and a gearset located within a gear box or housing I0 with the transmission shaftor tail shaft II extending through the rear Wall of the gear box in theusual manner. The gear set is of the conventional type including driveand transmission shafts arranged in axial alinement, a countershaft gearon the shaft, some of which are shiftable to connect the drive andtransmission shafts in direct drive relation, or in indirect driverelation through the countershaft, all as is well understood.

I2 designates generally, the propeller shaft, this including one or moreuniversal joints, and as here shown, it includes two universal joints I3which connect end sections I4 and I5 to the opposite ends of theintermediate section. 'I'he power plant unit and propeller shaft arearranged with their axes extending lengthwise of the axis of the drivingaxle, and out of the vertical plane of the driving axle, and preferablyto the rear of said vertical plane with thevpropeller shaft located inan oblique line between the driving axle and the axis of the powerplant, so that 'it is arranged low down between'the horizontal planes ofthe axes of the power plant unit and that'of the driving axle.

. 20 and 2| designate respectively supports .for the trains of gearingsbetween the on shaft and one end of the propeller shaft, and between theotherv end ofthe propeller shaft and the ring gear of the differentialgear, these supports beingl usually housings, each of which encloses atrain of gears. 'I'he housing 2l is a downward, or drop extension,inclining forward of the gear box and isrigid with the gear box, and thehousing 2| is an upward and rearward extension inclining upward from thehousing of the differential gear casing, and the housing 2l is entirelyfree of and unconnected to the axle, or free to move upwardly anddownwardly relatively to the axle, and the housing 2| is entirely freeof the power plant unit, or free to move upwardly and downwardlyrelatively to the power plant, as the vehicle travels over bumps in theroad. 'I'he train of gearing between the transmission or tail shaft Ilof the gear set and one end section I4 of the propeller shaft, as hereshown includes gears 30 and 3| mounted respectively on the projectingend of the transmission shaft and on the end section I4 of the propellershaft, and an idler gear 32 meshing with the former gears. '111e gear 32is mounted on a suitable stud supported in the extension housing 2l, asseen in Flgln'e 3. Similar gears 33, 34 and 'I are mounted respectivelyon the end section I of the propeller shaft and on the di'erential gearcasing, the gear 1 corresponding to, or being, the ring gear of thedifferential. The differential gear is located nearer one end of therear axle assembly than the other, instead of in the middle, in order`togive space for a comparatively long propeller shaft.

Owing to the extension housing, or drop gear case, attached to astandard tron gearing,

-a conventional universal joint and propeller shaft drive can be used ina rear engine drive for motor vehicles. Also, owing to this arrangement.the drive line, or propellershaft, can be located below the seat level,thereby keeping the iloor level low; as seen in Figure 1.

What I claim is:

In a motor vehicle, the combination with a suitable chassis, drivingaxle unit including a differential gear and housing, springs supportingthe chassis on the driving axle and a power plant unit mounted on thechassis above the axle unit and in the rear of the vertical planethereof with its axis of rotation substantially paralleling the drivingaxle unit, the power plant including a gear set and housing in line withthe engine of a propeller shaft including universal joint means, thepropeller shaft extending substantially parallel to the axle unit andlocated out of the vertical plane of the axle unit and to the rearthereof, supports in which the opposite ends of the propeller shaft arejournalled respectively, one support beingl rigid with the gear`sethousing and incllning downward toward the axle unit and the othersupport being rigid with the axle unit and inclining upward toward thepower plant unit. gearing between the gear set and one end of thepropeller shaft and supported by one of said rigid supports and gearingbetween the other end of the propeller shaft and the drive gear of thediilerential and supported by the other of said rigid supports.

' CARL D. PETERSON.

